


Kuwabara

by StarlightCrusader



Category: Original Work
Genre: Evil Corporations, Imprisonment, Mercenaries, New York City, Office, PMC, Private Military Company
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 09:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21455719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightCrusader/pseuds/StarlightCrusader
Summary: (A short story based on a writing prompt my creative writing professor gave our class.) Tessa is a 1970's New York office worker trying to hold on to her new job at a global marketing firm. She's content to stay under the radar and try to make ends meet for herself, but she soon finds out she's gotten wrapped up in something she was not prepared to deal with.This story is likely to remain a one-off, but I may come back to it should I come up with any ideas for it or get good feedback.





	Kuwabara

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written over the course of about a week based on a writing prompt my creative writing professor gave my class designed to help us practice dialogue. I may or may not eventually come back to write more at some point, but for the moment please consider this to be a standalone work.
> 
> This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
> 
> Special thanks to my friends and to the folks on the Sleepless Domain Discord for helping me improve this work by giving useful critique and suggestions.

I was going to be late for work again. I just got a new job a couple weeks ago, and I knew I had to keep it. It paid well, and I could make some nice connections here. I was late on my first day though – not a good look. There weren’t many other opportunities for a young woman like myself to make an honest living in New York, so I knew I had to keep this job no matter what. I rounded the street corner, slammed through the Challoner Marketing skyscraper doors, and rushed the elevator. A young woman my age saw me and shrunk into the recesses – Luna. Thankfully Arthur, the company’s staff director, held the door open for me. I caught my breath and let out a quick thank you while I hit my floor’s button.

Our bike messenger Jeremy whistled. “Wow, Flash. Youse sure got some good legs on you. If you keep it up, maybe you’ll be fast as me someday!” he said. Jeremy was a lean man who looked barely out of his teen years. Despite his compact frame, his muscles were well defined. The rumor around the office was that he used to run the Boston Marathon until he mysteriously quit for whatever reason. Maybe they just weren’t enough of a challenge for him or something. I wouldn’t know about that, but this job definitely kept him in shape. Still, it was hard to take him seriously with his shaved hair and rubbery, monkeylike face.

Arthur chuckled. “Now if only you used those legs of yours to get here on time last week.” He grinned knowingly. I gave him a polite smile. I found that the best way to handle people like Arthur is usually to let them think they’re winning you over with their teasing. That’s how the “Arthur” in my neighborhood was, at least. After taking this job, I started becoming convinced that every neighborhood must have an “Arthur-” the friendly, jolly, yet condescending old man with white hair who would give banter and life advice to anyone at least a decade younger than him. He didn’t really care how well he knew people either – my first day on the job he started asking me if I had set up my 401k yet, or if I wanted to know the best dating spots in the city. Still, he wasn’t all bad – he always tried to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it.

Luna rolled her eyes at me. “Where I grew up, being late even once might get you fired,” she said. “But I guess you’re lucky to work here, right Tessa?” I resisted the urge to kick her. We must have been competing for the same job, because ever since I started working here she had been doing everything short of brazenly violating company policy to make my experience miserable. She would conspicuously bump into me while I was carrying papers, loudly nitpick my job performance, and I’m sure half the weird rumors that started about me at work were her doing. And honestly, if I didn’t need this job to make ends meet, I might have let her win.

Arthur wagged his finger. “Now Luna, everyone makes mistakes. Why, when I started working here, I-”

The elevator jerked as it ground to a sudden stop. Jeremy moaned. “Ah crap, what now?” he said. “I got like, ten packages that all need to get there yesterday.”

Arthur bit his lip and sighed. “Tim was telling me he’d have maintenance come in here last week. I knew I could trust him to get that done, but it’s not my department.”

Jeremy sighed and tapped the call button. When nothing happened, he jammed it with his thumb a few more times. “Come on you stupid piece of crap, work,” he muttered. He kneeled down and inspected the panel. “Yo old dude,” he said, “You got a flat screwdriver or a pocketknife or something?” When Arthur said that he didn’t, Jeremy started trying to claw the panel off with his bare fingernails, with no success.

After a minute of watching Jeremy fruitlessly try to finagle the intercom, Luna turned to me and grinned. “So Tessa, why were you in such a rush today?”

I tried to hide the scowl on my face. Luna knew exactly why I was rushing. _Someone_ slashed my bike tires this morning and I had to run all the way here. I looked up at her and put on my best fake smile. “Oh you know, just trying to impress our boss after last week,” I said. “You have to work extra hard to make up for first impressions.”

Luna nodded. “Maybe if you work very hard, he’ll forget about you being late on your first day.”

While Luna and I were staring each other down trying to provoke the other into attacking, the elevator rocked and jumped as it shook itself loose. We all grabbed the side railing and watched helplessly as the bronze hand on the silver elevator dial kept climbing. Ninth floor, thirteenth floor, eighteenth- we braced for impact as it neared the 22nd, the top floor. As if by a miracle, the elevator slowed down and softly landed at the top floor. We all looked at each other nervously. Nobody was supposed to be up here without the boss’ permission – ever. The doors were protected by armed guards, and you needed a special key to get the elevator to take you here. Well, usually you did.

Nothing was happening, but nobody wanted to move, or even breathe. Arthur was the first to sigh and break the awkward silence. “Well, hopefully someone will notice we’re all missing and get us out of here. I know Jim. He’s an understanding guy, so I’m sure if I talk to him none of us will get in trouble for this. Just, try and stay calm and everything will be fine.”

The elevator jostled a bit, then let out a ping. We all knew what that meant. The doors slid open. Inside the room, I saw rows upon rows of large computer terminals. The square kind with lots of coloured buttons and sliders, like you’d see at NASA. There were about ten people in suits and uniforms I didn’t recognize all turned to look straight at us. A man in a decorated military uniform with a grizzled blonde beard, red beret, and a cane pointed at us. “Who the fuck are they?” he yelled with a gruff British accent. “What are they doing here?” He waited for a moment. “I won’t ask you clowns again, how did they get in here?” he asked, louder this time.

Jeremy waved his hands frantically. “Listen, uh, we don’t want no trouble. Just-”

Arthur cut him off and winked. “I’ll handle this.” He turned and addressed the man in the beret. “Look, we’re as confused as you are,” he said, stepping through the door. “We’re just employees here. The elevator must’ve broken down, but we’re ready to leave and forget everything we saw here if that’s alright with you.”

“Are you now,” the man in charge said with a low growl. “You’re not getting off that easy. If you’re really just here by accident, you won’t mind answering some questions for us.” He furiously motioned at us with his cane. “Kodama, take them to Room 2260.”

A shorter man with a balaclava and assault rifle walked over to us. “Come with me,” he said in a thick accent. Jeremy and Luna looked at Arthur, who put his hands up and nodded. Kodama looked at me and motioned with his gun. “Get moving,” he said. I complied. While we were walked over to the room, I couldn’t help but be struck by just how normal the rest of this floor looked. Aside from the occasional balaclava-clad guard, it looked like any other office, with employees running around cubicles, making copies, and getting a coffee in the break room. There was a logo displayed around the office and on the guards’ uniforms of a skewered octopus. I felt like I had seen that logo somewhere, but couldn’t quite place it. When we arrived at the room, we stopped for him to open the door. I took the opportunity to figure out where saw that logo and lost myself in thought until Kodama hit my back with the butt of his rifle to force me in.

The room looked like more of a holding cell. It was made of steel, with a couple bunk beds in the corner and a simple desk and chair in the middle. There was a single window with iron bars overlooking the city below. I sat down on the nearest bunk bed next to Arthur. I gave him a nudge. “Hey, what’s going on? You’re on the board, you have to know something, right?”

Arthur shook his head. “Jim doesn’t tell anyone what goes on with this floor. Not even me.”

I took the opportunity to look at Kodama’s uniform better. It was brown with a light camo pattern. He wore a belt with a handgun holster and ammo pouches. On his right shoulder he had a triangle patch with what I assumed with this group’s logo. He had two round metal pips on his collar, possibly indicating his rank in this organization. Even under his mask I could see that he had light skin and almond-shaped eyes, and I could see some black arm hair peeking out from behind his gloves and sleeves. He eventually took a deep breath and asked me what I was looking at. I said nothing and looked down. We waited for what felt like hours before we heard some distant shouting. A few minutes later, our boss, Jim Challoner, walked through the door with the man in the red beret.

Jim was a younger man, probably in his 30’s. His black hair was always slicked back and he walked with a swagger. His suit was a bit ruffled and his green tie with a little off. He gave us his signature disarming smile. “Hey, sorry to keep you all waiting,” he said. He motioned to the man in the beret. “My friend Tom here can be a bit of a stickler about his privacy. Anyway, I guess I should probably tell you what’s going on. Have any of you heard of ‘Donner Corps?’”

That was what I was forgetting. I read about this group in the newspaper months ago. “Boss,” I began, “You don’t mean you’re working with mercenaries?”

Jim looked at me. “You’re… Tessa, right? You just started working with us a couple weeks ago?”

I nodded.

“Well, you’re saying that like it’s a bad thing. See, I give these guys some empty office space and some help here and there, and they give me a significant discount on our exclusive contract for them to protect my assets. It’s a pretty sweet deal, actually.” Tom nudged him and looked him in the eyes. “Oh, right,” Jim said. “See, this incident has put us in a bit of a pickle. Technically, while working with them isn’t illegal or anything, we both agreed we didn’t want anyone to know we were working together. PR reasons, you understand. Anyway, I was able to make a deal for you guys. You get to go free, and in return I give you all a ‘promotion’ to work here on the 22nd floor. Officially you’ll be working with confidential client data. Unofficially though, you’ll be working for Tom and the rest of Donner Corps.”

“Jim, I’m – I’m a bit confused,” Arthur said, scratching his head. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going on? We’ve been friends for years. Your father and I always told each other everything about business, and I thought you said it’d be the same with you.”

Jim shrugged. “I didn’t see why I needed to tell you anything. How I keep my investments safe is really none of your business.”

Tom cut in and pushed Jim to the side. “Alright, that’s enough of that. You four. Starting today, you’re working for me.” He nudged Kodama with his cane. “Our raid into Yugoslavia will last at least a week. I expect these new employees to be properly assigned and trained by the time I get back.” He started to walk out, then stopped. He turned around and waved his cane at us. “And don’t tell anyone, alright? I hope I don’t have to tell you what happens if you do.”

I understood perfectly.


End file.
